Ear Training: Tonic, Subdominant, and Dominant Functioning Chords | I IV V Harmonic Progression
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In this video from the Berklee Online course Ear Training Fundamentals, course author Roberta Radley explains how tonic, subdominant, and dominant functioning chords work together in a harmonic progression. She demonstrates this with a memorable example of the relationship between the I, IV, and V chords—using a rubber band. Just as a rubber band can rest, stretch, and release tension, harmonic movement creates varying levels of stability and pull within a chord progression. The tonic (I) acts like the rubber band at rest: Completely stable. The dominant (V) is the maximum stretch: Full of tension that wants to resolve. The subdominant (IV) sits in between: tight enough to move but not ready to snap. Through this comparison, you’ll see how different combinations of I IV V can shape the feel of a progression, including classic motions like IV → I, IV → V → I, and V → IV → I. Finally, we listen to a 12-bar blues example to hear these “rubber band” dynamics in action. If you’re learning harmony or building ear training skills, this visual metaphor will help you grasp chord function in a new way.
Learn more about this course: https://berkonl.in/4q4Zyji
ABOUT ROBERTA RADLEY:
Roberta Radley, Chair Emeritus of Berklee’s Ear Training department, taught on the Boston campus for nearly 50 years and helped develop the school’s core curriculum. A longtime Berklee Online instructor, she received the Distinguished Faculty Award and a UPCEA award for teaching excellence in 2020. For Berklee Online she wrote and teaches Ear Training 1 and Ear Training Fundamentals, and co-wrote Harmonic Ear Training: Recognizing Chord Progressions.
About Berklee Online:
Founded in 2002, Berklee Online is the premier innovator and largest provider of worldwide music education, offering the renowned curriculum of Berklee College of Music at a fraction of the cost through award-winning programming and instruction. Contact an Academic Advisor today:
1-866-BERKLEE (US)
1-617-747-2146 (international callers)
advisors@online.berklee.edu
http://www.facebook.com/BerkleeOnline
http://www.instagram.com/berkleeonline/
https://www.linkedin.com/company/berkleeonline
https://www.tiktok.com/@berkleeonline
Ear Training | Music Theory | Voice | Techniques | Voice Registers | Tips for Beginners | Instruments | Roberta Radley | Tonic | Subdominant | Dominant | I, IV, V Chords | Harmonic Progression
Study Music Theory Online with Berklee: https://berkonl.in/3YimTjJ
In this video from the Berklee Online course Ear Training Fundamentals, course author Roberta Radley explains how tonic, subdominant, and dominant functioning chords work together in a harmonic progression. She demonstrates this with a memorable example of the relationship between the I, IV, and V chords—using a rubber band. Just as a rubber band can rest, stretch, and release tension, harmonic movement creates varying levels of stability and pull within a chord progression. The tonic (I) acts like the rubber band at rest: Completely stable. The dominant (V) is the maximum stretch: Full of tension that wants to resolve. The subdominant (IV) sits in between: tight enough to move but not ready to snap. Through this comparison, you’ll see how different combinations of I IV V can shape the feel of a progression, including classic motions like IV → I, IV → V → I, and V → IV → I. Finally, we listen to a 12-bar blues example to hear these “rubber band” dynamics in action. If you’re learning harmony or building ear training skills, this visual metaphor will help you grasp chord function in a new way.
Learn more about this course: https://berkonl.in/4q4Zyji
ABOUT ROBERTA RADLEY:
Roberta Radley, Chair Emeritus of Berklee’s Ear Training department, taught on the Boston campus for nearly 50 years and helped develop the school’s core curriculum. A longtime Berklee Online instructor, she received the Distinguished Faculty Award and a UPCEA award for teaching excellence in 2020. For Berklee Online she wrote and teaches Ear Training 1 and Ear Training Fundamentals, and co-wrote Harmonic Ear Training: Recognizing Chord Progressions.
About Berklee Online:
Founded in 2002, Berklee Online is the premier innovator and largest provider of worldwide music education, offering the renowned curriculum of Berklee College of Music at a fraction of the cost through award-winning programming and instruction. Contact an Academic Advisor today:
1-866-BERKLEE (US)
1-617-747-2146 (international callers)
advisors@online.berklee.edu
http://www.facebook.com/BerkleeOnline
http://www.instagram.com/berkleeonline/
https://www.linkedin.com/company/berkleeonline
https://www.tiktok.com/@berkleeonline
Ear Training | Music Theory | Voice | Techniques | Voice Registers | Tips for Beginners | Instruments | Roberta Radley | Tonic | Subdominant | Dominant | I, IV, V Chords | Harmonic Progression
Berklee Online
Accessible, affordable, and career-focused, Berklee Online is the premier innovator and largest provider of worldwide music education. Since 2002, Berklee Online has provided more than 75,000 students from 144 countries the renowned curriculum of Berklee ...